THE UST Tiger Judokas staged a triumphant comeback to reclaim their 16th overall UAAP crown while the Lady Judokas secured the silver medal for the second straight season at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 15.
The Tiger Judokas amassed 13 medals to finish with 47 points, overcoming the UP Fighting Maroons (34 points, 12 medals) and the DLSU Green Judokas (11 points, 3 medals).
Tiger Judoka Troy Estrella secured the Most Valuable Player award, besting UP’s Robert Anthony Maala and DLSU’s John Christian Hernandez during the men’s minus-66 kg finals.
Estrella clinched the gold in just seven seconds with a swift tai-otoshi against teammate Jandrei Sotto, leading the Tigers back to the top since their last championship in Season 85. Key contributions came from Ralph Jepherson Suarez and Rodhneyel Lopez, who both claimed bronze in the minus-60 kg category.
Meanwhile, the men’s minus-55 kg category saw UST’s Janry Pamor seal the gold medal after defeating UP’s two-time champion Hye Jun Lee via shido for non-combativity.
After falling short last season, the Tiger Judokas made an early statement with a dominant 27-12 lead over defending champions UP in the season opener on Saturday, Dec. 14.
Rookie of the Year Rodge Daniel Bernal added a silver in the minus-90 kg category, while teammate Kyan Louis Ballecer claimed gold with a swift uchi-mata in just 11 seconds. Tiger Judokas Chino Sy and Lorenzo Noel Tolentino secured gold and silver, respectively, in the minus-100 kg event, with Sy executing an uchi-mata-sukashi counter to seal the win.
UST’s John Carlos Aniciete fell short in the men’s minus-81 kg division, who succumbed to Season 86 MVP and UP Fighting Maroon Jayvee Ferrer via kesa-gatame in just 45 seconds.
Tiger Judoka Rael Geoffrey Abujos claimed the silver medal in the plus-100 kg category after bowing to La Salle’s Angelo Baclagan in 1 minute and 13 seconds. Teammate Tristan Jacob Reyes joined him on the podium with a bronze medal finish.
In the women’s division, the Lady Judokas fell short against the UE Lady Warriors, who clinched their fourth consecutive championship with 10 medals and 40 points.
Despite their strong opening day, which saw them tally 15 points, the Lady Judokas struggled to close the gap on Day 2 as UE widened the margin to 21 points.
UST finished second with 19 points and 11 medals, while the DLSU Lady Judokas settled for bronze with 14 points and 4 medals.
UST’s Arielle Alcoran fell short in the women’s minus-48 kg division, losing to UE Lady Warrior Leah Jane Lopez via yoko-shiho-gatame. Princess Cortez contributed to UST’s medal haul with a bronze in the women’s minus-57 kg category, while Christine Quiniones and Mary Joy Baldos each secured bronze medals in the women’s minus-44 kg division.
UST’s Faiza Asilum delivered the Lady Judokas’ lone gold in the minus-52 kg finals, defeating UP rookie Annika Caminero with a buzzer-beater osoto-gari.
Angelique Cortez joined the podium with a bronze medal finish in the women’s minus-52 kg category. Sherilyn Tagra (minus-63 kg), Mariah Lua (minus-70 kg), Margaret Fajardo (minus-78 kg) and Lea Loren Quimba (plus-78 kg) rounded out UST’s medal haul with bronzes in their respective events. F
